1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to absorbent articles for absorbing body fluids and exudates, such as urine and fecal material. More particularly, the present invention relates to absorbent garments, such as disposable diapers and adult incontinence garments, which include a lotionized bodyside liner for improved skin health benefits.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers, employ absorbent materials located between a liquid pervious bodyside liner and a liquid impermeable outer cover to absorb body exudates. Such conventional absorbent articles have typically included elasticized waistbands and leg cuffs to help reduce the leakage of body exudates. Some conventional absorbent articles have also included elasticized containment or barrier flaps at the leg or waist sections of the article to further reduce leaks.
Typically, the liquid pervious bodyside liners have been constructed of nonwoven materials such as spunbond polyolefin materials. Unfortunately, such materials do not always provide a soft, nonabrasive contact with the skin. In particular, during continuous use of absorbent articles containing such liners, the wearer's skin can become quite irritated and red particularly in the presence of urine and feces. The abrasion resulting from such liners and the presence of urine and feces can undesirably lead to the onset of diaper dermatitis (diaper rash). Diaper dermatitis can afflict almost every infant at some time during the diaper wearing years. Although other factors influence the onset of diaper dermatitis, critical factors include the abrasiveness of the bodyside liner and the hydration level of the wearers skin.
To prevent body exudates from contacting the wearer's skin, the caregiver often applies skin protective products directly to the skin of the wearer before positioning the article on the wearer. Such products have included petrolatum, mineral oil, talc, corn starch, or various other commercially available rash creams or lotions. This procedure typically involves the caregiver applying the products to their hand and then transferring the products to the wearer's skin.
To eliminate the caregiver from contacting the products and to reduce skin abrasion and improve skin health, lotion formulations can be applied to the bodyside liners such that, in use, the lotion formulation either transfers to the skin or provides lubricity thereby reducing the friction between the liner and the skin. However, conventional lotion formulations have typically been lipophilic liquids, lipophilic semi-solids, or lipophilic solids based formulations at room temperature. Such formulations have been unstable and tended to migrate away from the surface of the liner into the liner and absorbent core of the absorbent articles leaving less on the surface to transfer to the skin or provide the reduced abrasion. This migration problem is particularly evident at higher temperatures such as those at the skin surface in use or those in typical storage conditions in warm climates.
Conventional absorbent articles, such as those described above, have not been completely satisfactory. For example, lotions which have been incorporated on the liners of such articles have migrated such that a less effective amount has been applied to the wearer's skin or been located between the skin and the liner in use. Thus, large amounts of such lotions have been required to be added to the liner to deliver the skin benefit. Moreover, such absorbent articles have not always maintained a reduced level of skin hydration for the wearer. As a result, the wearer's skin has remained susceptible to rashes, abrasion and irritation. Accordingly, there remains a need for absorbent articles which provide improved skin health.